Seoul, South Korea – Incheon residents can expect quicker access to justice as the city is set to get its own high court by March 2028. The National Assembly passed a bill on [date] to establish the Incheon High Court, ending years of lobbying by local residents.

The new court will be located in the northern district of Seo-gu and will serve approximately 4.3 million people in Incheon, Bucheon, and Kimpo. Previously, residents had to travel to Seoul for appeals in criminal, administrative, and other cases, a journey that could take several hours.

“This is a significant victory for Incheon residents, who have long advocated for a high court closer to home,” said Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok. “The new court will provide quicker and more convenient access to justice.”

While Incheon has had a branch of the Seoul High Court since 2019, it only handles civil and family appeals. The establishment of the Incheon High Court will allow residents to have their appeals heard locally, reducing the burden of lengthy commutes to Seoul.

The decision to establish the Incheon High Court comes after years of advocacy by local residents and government officials. In 2020, the Incheon City Government formed a citizens' committee to push for the establishment of the court and launched a petition that garnered over 1.1 million signatures.

With the new high court, Incheon joins other major cities in South Korea, such as Seoul, Daejeon, Daegu, Busan, Gwangju, and Suwon, in having its own high court. The absence of a high court in Incheon and Ulsan had been a longstanding issue for residents of these cities.